Roth
Among Revolution's upcoming pics is the feature version of the hit Broadway musical 'Rent,' due out in November.
HOLLYWOOD -- More than ever in its five-year history, Revolution Studios is going through a revolution, causing founder Joe Roth to step up to the plate in the most hands-on role of his career.
In the last few months, two of Revolution's five partners have left the studio -- Todd Garner now has his own production company, and Rob Moore is running marketing and distribution at Paramount.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on the studio's equity partnership with Sony, which expires at the end of 2006.
Because of Revolution's uneven track record -- it's had highs like "Black Hawk Down," but more than a few lows with films like "Gigli" -- there has been some question as to whether, or in what form, the studio would last another round at Sony.
Sony, meanwhile, is trying to get its ducks in a row as it canvases the MGM library for remake potentials and firms up its slate priorities. After a disappointing summer, Sony is under pressure to determine what kinds of films it wants to be making, and if and how it will need Revolution, which currently supplies the studio with five to six films per year.
Although negotiations between Sony and Revolution began to heat up in recent months, they are now on hold until January, partly because Roth feels that Revolution's fall lineup will cast a new, more complex light on what the studio is capable of producing.
Hands-on man
In the midst of all this turmoil, Roth is immersing himself in the company more than ever before.
While previously it was Garner who oversaw production, now Roth is the go-to man. Having recently wrapped "Freedomland," which he directed in New York City, Roth is back in Los Angeles, more actively involved in selecting and greenlighting films.
"I think it's really important in any kind of business transition that the person who's the owner drills down as deep as he can," Roth said, adding that the recent loss of staff has not affected Revolution's production level.
"We're not cutting back at all," he said. "We have the exact same schedule as we've had the last five years, the same number of employees (both Garner and Moore were replaced) and the same operating style."
As part of the new order at Revolution, executives are focusing on their own projects as opposed to being involved more broadly with Revolution's development slate.
"I'm no longer interested in having executives supervise other people," Roth said. "I want everyone to be doing their own work."
Fall sked
Revolution's fall and winter schedule is further evidence of Roth's growing imprint on his studio. Besides "Freedomland," based on the book by Richard Price, the studio will release a musical based on the Broadway show "Rent," and a remake of the horror pic "The Fog," starring Selma Blair.
Going into 2006, Revolution's films include "Benchwarmers," a comedy produced by Happy Madison that stars Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder; the Adam Sandler comedy "Click"; "Zoom," a family film starring Tim Allen; and an untitled musical directed by Julie Taymor featuring the music of the Beatles.
And in 2007 the studio will release "Perfect Stranger," a psychological thriller starring Halle Berry and Bruce Willis; and "Slammer," a comedy directed by Adam Shankman and starring Sarah Jessica Parker.
Ultimately, Revolution will have produced 44 films under its Sony contract; it was required to make a minimum of 37.
Eclectic slate
"Freedomland," "Rent" and the Taymor project are all films that Roth personally picked. They show a shift in the type of films that Revolution -- which so far in its history has favored the kinds of movies popular with 15-year-old boys, such as "XXX" and "Hellboy" -- is now looking to produce.
"I think the Revolution slate will more resemble the eclectic slate that I put together when I was at Fox and Disney," Roth said. "It's very difficult to justify not trying to do something different in a marketplace that is more and more selective."
(Sensing Oscar potential in "Freedomland," Sony announced on Friday that the film will be released exclusively in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 23 in advance of its nationwide release January 13.)
Besides sensibility, those films are also conspicuous for being made at more modest budgets.
In order to make "Freedomland" for $30 million, the film's stars, Julianne Moore and Samuel L. Jackson (as well as Roth), took pay cuts. On "Rent," a $50 million film, everyone also worked for scale. Taymor's musical is the most expensive, at $60 million, though some of that cost is attributed to licensing fees for 35 Beatles songs.
Meanwhile, "Next," an action film budgeted at $85 million, is giving Roth second thoughts. The film, which stars Nicolas Cage, is temporarily on hold as Roth considers bringing on a domestic or international partner in order to shave Revolution's risk.
"I don't want to accept things just on face value," he said. "It's frightening to watch 'The Island' and 'Stealth' happen, where they weren't able to make a connection to an audience ... I feel like times are changing. You have to really take a careful look at what you're doing." (Revolution had its own summer bomb with "XXX: State of the Union.")
This prudent thinking may in part be pressure from Sony, which has had to shoulder many of Revolution's misses. Sony pays for almost half of production costs on Revolution films, as well as all marketing and distribution costs. Those ratios are likely to be altered should Revolution maintain its partnership with the studio in coming years.
Whatever happens, for the time being Roth is focusing on the movies at hand.
"I want 'Rent' to come out, I want to finish (editing) 'Freedomland,' and get some sense of calm," he said. "Everything is sort of unclear to me. In the lack of clarity, I'd rather stick to what we're doing, keep our heads down and put myself on the ground floor of production."
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